Tumulus
by larissaRN
Summary: Cal's return from Tumulus. Will go between Cal and Niko POV's. First time ever writing in Fanfiction. Comments etc. would be appreciated. Just trying to have fun with Rob Thurman's Characters. She doesn't write a whole lot about what Cal was like immediately after Tumulus, just that it was BAD haha so this is my attempt to expand on that part of her story. All hail Thurman.


Cal Leandros Chapter 1

I land hard on grassy ground. The air on my skin is warm, not like where I was before. It is dark. I can smell smoke and fumes in the air, but also singed flesh and I gag on the smell. I hear chaos and ground glass ringing in my ears.

Where are they?

Have to get away.

I see a man, long dark blonde braid and gray eyes, he's speaking but I don't understand. I snarl and bare my teeth in a warning. Stay away! The man pauses, but continues to come closer with the graceful movements of a predator. He smells familiar, like home, but I have no home anymore. The man reaches a hand towards me. When he makes contact with my skin I thrash and claw at him like they would do to each other…and me. Gray eyes widen slightly in surprise and he speaks more. The awful sounds ringing in my ears begin to fade. As they do I can feel shadows moving in to conceal the details of where I was before I slammed into the dry, prickly grass. I fell through a rip in the air. I can hear words now; I understand what he is saying.

"Cal? It's me, Nik. You're safe now, little brother. I'll never let them take you from me again, do you hear me?"

Niko. My brother. I'm home. I can feel myself trembling and gasping, the terror remains even if the details of before do not. I stop fighting.

Time passes. I remember what happened. The Grendels came in the night and stole me from my bed. I thought Niko had burned to death just like our bitch of a mother Sophia had in the dilapidated trailer. If anyone could survive a Grendel attack, it would be Nik. I thought we would be free that day. Free from Sophia and her abuse. Free to begin a new life with Niko while he went to college.

I'm on the floor of Nik's cheap car, chin resting on knees, with my knife in hand. My clothes don't fit me anymore. Had to borrow Nik's sweater and sweat pants. No shoes. Nik tried to make me wear them, but I refused. So tired. Want to sleep but I know they're still out there. They'll find me. Always watching. I feel the car slow, turn, and eventually stop. Nik touches my shoulder and I flinch. Can't help it. I hear him speaking, and struggle to focus on the outside world instead of being in my head with the shadows.

"….have to go inside now, little brother. I've driven for 5 hours, it should be far enough away that they won't find us. They will never take you from me again I swear Cal."

I look up. Meet his gray eyes with my own. Niko never emotes the way most people do. I know his face better than my own. I can see the sleepless nights, the tense lines in his brow. I know he cares for me, loves me, more than just as a brother. He raised me, because Sophia couldn't be bothered to care for her half-monster son.

Nik gets out of the car and walks over to my side. He opens my door and waits patiently for me to unravel my limbs and climb out myself. He unlocks the trunk and grabs a few bags. We've stopped at a cheap motel. I follow Nik to the front desk so we can pay for a room. Before we go in Nik asks for my knife. I want to fight him on this one because now that I have something I can try and fight back with I want to hang on to it and never let go. Niko explains that we can't go in with a knife and scare the person running the desk. Reluctantly I hand it over.

In the generic hotel room I sit on the bed. I'm drowning in the shadows right now. The fear never leaves me. Even with Niko in sight I struggle with the urge to flee or to hide. The room is dark, even though the sky has been bright for a while now. Niko comes over after setting the bags down in a corner.

"Cal do you want to sleep now? I can run a bath for you and get you cleaned up."

I don't respond right away. I look down at my hands. Pull up the sleeves of the sweater and realize that my normally moon pale skin is so stained with blood, dirt, and who knows what else that it looks like I have a tan. My brother nudges me off the bed and towards the bathroom. He's seen it all, wiped my ass when I was a baby, so I wasn't shy in getting undressed while he ran the water in the small grungy hotel shower. The warm water feels so good on my skin. My body relaxes despite all of the tension and fear still ripping through my nerves. It feels like it's been 2 days, but the terror in my mind and body tells me it's been longer than that. My longer hair and larger body also prove I'm not 14 years old anymore. After scrubbing the grime off my body and hair I realize just how matted my black hair is. I'm tempted to just hack it all off with one of Niko's sharp knives. I continue to jump and flinch at Niko's touch. I have to consciously hold myself still in order for him to help me with my hair. He patiently works at the knots while I tremble on the edge of the bed after getting dressed in the same sweats of Nik's as before.

"Go to sleep Cal. They didn't follow us. You can rest now."

Niko hesitantly prods me to settle on the bed. And I do, because Nik makes me feel safer. Despite everything in my body and mind screaming that it is never safe and to relax for even a moment is to invite an attack. Once I lay my head down with Nik telling me to close my eyes I feel myself sinking into sleep.

Claws ripping at my flesh.

Whispers in my ear like ice chisels.

Cold air raising goose flesh all over my naked body.

Teeth chattering.

Mind screaming.

Calling for my family.

For Nik.

"Nik! Niko!"

Awake. I scramble out of the bed. Land with a thump onto the floor and promptly pull myself under the bed. It smells rank down here, but somehow I feel more secure.

"Cal! What…hey it's okay. It's just a dream. Come out, little brother it's safe."

I don't respond. I tremble violently. Gasping and soaked in cold sweat. I hear movement. Can see Niko's bare feet as they cross the room several times. Nik shimmies next to me under the bed holding two pillows and one of the cheap bedspreads. I shy away at first when he reaches towards my head, but then I realize he is trying to put a pillow beneath my head. Grateful I let him and feel him lay the blanket over the pair of us like a shield. Then Nik hands me one more thing. The knife. I grip it hard, knuckles white, and feel even safer because of it. I still can't stand for Nik to touch me. I can tell it hurts him. I let him stay with me though in the tight space beneath the bed. Neat freak Niko is braving the dust bunny's for me. I don't feel as much fear with him close by.

After several hours my mind and body finally give in and I feel myself drift off. With my big brother right beside me, just as he always has been since the day I was born.

End Chapter 1


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